I think Netflix learned some lessons over the last couple years. A year or two ago they got burned by the big studios who demanded enormous compensation to license their content. Then, the whole "qwikster" debacle infuriated a lot of its customers. Early last year (I think) Starz pulled their lineup from Netflix. So, they mused that if they got into the content business they can cut out the middle men in studios/production companies and not pay more licensing fees. Logically, this is really the only way they can stay in business with ~$10/month subscription fee. They will have to become a content creator in their own right to make it work. I'm not saying this is the best way for this to happen, but I honestly don't see how else Netflix can keep doing what they're doing.
It seems like Netflix is still able to land exclusive content deals for past seasons of popular shows by offering slightly more than their competitors. Even the most tight-fisted producer/distributor will take Netflix's money over no money. Unfortunately for Netflix, there aren't too many independent production studios left that aren't owned by distributors with existing contracts. Netflix needs to offer a better deal to the producers of the next hit show than they can get from a broadcast network.
This is true, the only other streaming service I think of is Amazon Plus, so for now that aren't that many players. The thing that frustrates me the most are distributors like HBO. I love HBO shows...almost all of them really. But guess what? I can't watch a single fucking episode of ANYTHING unless I sign up for their premium cable package OR INDIVIDUALLY buy each season or TV show collection on my own. Would it not be better for HBO to simply license its content out to services like Netflix instead of locking their stuff up in a vault? I don't know, I guess I'm not their accountant either though.